You have this life, right? And you have all these things you want to do and a million things stopping you. But most of those things stopping you are excuses, illusions, or obstacles you can work around and just haven’t yet. Seriously. There are few things that will actually, truly stop you from doing what you want. Death is the biggest. And even then, I’d argue you’re getting a pretty good end of the deal, because once you see what’s beyond it, you realize it’s pretty awesome, but that’s a topic for another day. Let’s focus on Earth life for now.

EARTH LIFE! It’s full of pleasure and pain, highs and lows, a rich, sensory rollercoaster smorgasbord of delights and despair. And you get to experience it. Or not.

I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow…. Wait wait, that’s a song! I heard it when I was 6 years old and it stuck. I never was really good at doing life someone else’s way. I blame the strong Uranus influence in my natal chart, among other things. I have a beat that I march to that isn’t even from a drummer. I don’t know where it comes from. Maybe some pulsing star in the cosmos. I’m still not sure. I love the mystery. Suffice to say, my life is rather unconventional.

I also decided long ago that I was ok with that. I wanted to live life on my own terms. I wanted to do more of the things I wanted and less of things I didn’t want. So I did. And some people called me crazy, and some people called me selfish, and some people just waited for me to fail. But some people called me courageous, and some people called me self-aware, and some people cheered me on as I succeeded. And those were the people I chose to spend time with. That has always been a good choice.

Choices. We get to make a million of them every day. I tend to make the ones that lead to me feeling good about myself and my life. That lead to fun, laughter, connection, creation, and heartbreak. Yes. It’s true. I get my heart broken. It’s not all shits and giggles, this life. I love it when my heart breaks. It cracks me open another layer, makes room for more of what I want, more of my own fire and spirit to shine out, reminds me of the achingly beautiful experience of pain and sorrow and loss, which only serves to deepen my immense enjoyment of pleasure and joy and connection.

So do it. Make a choice today. Make a choice for YOU. For what you want. Get really quiet and listen to yourself. Be honest – really, really fucking honest – about what you most want. Tell that hottie with the kind eyes you want him/her/them. Take the job that pays less but gives you more time or opportunity or fun. Buy that plane ticket. Write that song. Do what makes you feel alive. What makes you tingle from head to toe. Make the choice that makes you giddy, nervous, unsure-but-confident. You’ve got this.

You’ve got this life. Own it.